- Educational
Resources
Company Success Starter Kit
Contributed by: Toni Blake, American Academy of Property Management,
Lakewood Colorado
One of my pet peeves has always been the way people are started in
this business. Usually they get a set of keys, a vacancy sheet, and the
trial by fire method of training. Many companies have orientation
programs; however, many people don't receive the benefit of orientation
because of a lack of time or manpower. What we need is to take the
important information and create a duplicable product! I have been
thinking bout the problem, and I have an idea
a Success Starter Kit!
I recommend that you create a BOX - a physical packet that can be
created and duplicated, and sent out to every office so that before
someone is hired, they're prepared. Imagine someone being hired and
given this wonderful success kit at the end of their interview! Wow!
At the very least, your Success Starter Kit should include:
- A welcome letter from the President of the company telling them
about the importance of their job and how they fit into the company.
- The employee handbook or procedure manual.
- A sample book of all the forms the employee will be using to do
their job (guest cards, traffic sheet, work orders, etc.) along with
an audio cassette tape with explanations about how to fill out the
forms, the purpose of each, why we need the information, and what to
do with the forms when completed.
- A company or community logo coffee mug and ink pen. Maintenance
personnel may receive a hat and uniform shirt instead. The purpose
is to begin to build loyalty and make the new employee realize that
they're part of the team.
- If your company has any videos about the company and its history,
videos of the properties, or company training videos, they should
also be included in the box.
Delivering A Star Performance!
Contributed by: Cyndi Hesterly
Think of yourself as a performer,
think of yourself as both the STAR and DIRECTOR.
In order for your performance to be successful,
you, as the director, need to choose a strong supporting cast.
In this performance, you're the one
who selects the actors - those committed to helping your
performance be the best it can be.
The SUPPORTING CAST of your life
consists of those people with whom you associate
- friends, colleagues, coworkers, etc.
If everyone works positively together,
chances are your performance will be AWARD WINNING.
How about your performance? Do you have your ACT together?
Are you happy and fulfilled? Are you successful?
What about your SUPPORTING CAST, or staff?
Are they contributing to your goals? Are they a positive part of your
team?
What message are you most likely to hear from them?
Are the CHARACTERS in your life WINNERS?
If you surround yourself with winners, you will be winners too!
This is your show, and it's your life.
Jeopardy!
Kathy Wylie, the Leasing Trainer for the Charles E. Smith Realty
Companies, offers this great idea for ending a long training series.
On the last day of a training orientation, or weeklong sales seminar,
play a game of Jeopardy! The graining group should be divided into
smaller groups and given about a half-hour to study their training
notes, and each group will select one member to play the game. The
categories should be on areas that were covered in training. As in the
real game of Jeopardy, questions in each category should be
progressively difficult.
The first "contestant" will select a question from the
category of their choice. The first person to ring the bell will be
given the opportunity to answer the question. The answer must be given
correctly in the form of a question in order for points to be awarded.
If the answer is incorrect, or not given in the form of a question, the
points should be deducted from the contestant's running score, and the
next person to ring in will be given the opportunity to answer the
question correctly.
To give more people the chance to participate, two games should be
played. To conclude the game, contestants can wager all, a portion, or
none of their points on the final question. The group to win will
receive a prize, and might also be spotlighted in the employee
newsletter. Potential categories include: fair housing, administration,
maintenance, telephone techniques, sales, outreach, retention,
marketing, and follow-up.
Terrific Training Tips! Training
Trivia
Here's a great training idea from Donna McKinnon, Director of Career
Development at Avalon Properties, Inc.
When conducting training, Donna uses trivia questions to encourage
participants to return to class on time following breaks. The classroom
is divided into teams of three or four at the beginning of the training
session. The participants are then told that their team has the
opportunity throughout the day to earn points and win prizes, however,
all members of each team must be prompt in returning to class in order
for the team to be eligible to participate in the game. Immediately at
the end of each break, Donna presents her class with a trivia question
(i.e. How many times a day does the average human eye blink?) Only teams
with all members present are allowed to answer, and the team with the
correct answer (or the closest to correct) earns points. At the end of
the class / day, scores are tallied, and the team with the highest score
wins a prize - usually motivational materials or lottery tickets.
At the time of her letter, Donna had used the game in the classroom
(for both business and maintenance training) for a year, and determined
it to be extremely effective. The participants form a bond with the
other team members and enjoy the friendly competition. Even the most
introverted participant becomes assertive by the end of the day, and
amazingly enough, it is rare that anyone is late in returning to class
from a break!
Training Video Library
Valeria Laskas is a Regional Training Manager, and shared the
following great idea with us. Valerie writes:
"I ordered a training satellite dish, The People's Network (TPN)
to be installed at our Training Facility to enhance the videos provided
by our Training Video Library. The training channel features programs
from various nationally recognized speakers and trainers, like Zig
Ziglar, Brian Tracy, Tom Hopkins and Jim Rohn. The speakers present ½
to one-hour programs on a variety of topics including sales, customer
service, management, personal development, motivation, etc.
We record the programs (an average of four hours per day) and send
the tapes out to be professionally spliced and duplicated. The result is
an average of 40 hours of new video training programs per month to add
to our library. As you know, video programs can be very expensive. The
monthly cost of the dish is around $50.00. IN essence, we get 40 videos
for $50. Now that's value.
Videos from our library can be requested for free by anyone in the
company for a 2-week viewing period. This allows managers and staff
access to some of the finest training available for use at their
convenience and without having to travel to a training seminar.
Transporting Training Materials
This handy tip comes from Jeannette Foster of Avalon Properties, Inc.
When you have to transport flip charts, use very sharp scissors to cut
most of the cardboard off the back of the pad, leaving about ½ inch of
the cardboard remaining. Roll the paper around the cardboard and place
in a large mailer tube. Markers will fit perfectly in the end. This
makes it very convenient to carry and protects the pre-prepared
flipchart from wind and rain!
Roll Playing that Works
Contributed by Lori Snider, Account Executive, For Rent Magazine
Roll playing is a tremendously effective training and management
tool, but participants are sometimes hesitant to step into the spotlight
to play the role of a leasing professional or future resident in front
of a group. Instead of making them do the acting themselves, create
puppets from socks. Add eyes, earrings, hair, etc., and give the puppets
names (the sillier the better). Divide your staff into groups and inform
that that they'll be conducting a puppet show on your subject (i.e.
touring a vacant apartment home, overcoming objections, etc.). Assign
scenarios, puppets, and roles and give each group at least 15 minutes to
prepare. A sofa or large chair will become the "stage." Lori
says "The puppet shows tend to be absolutely hysterical. Your staff
will leave laughing. It also really builds team involvement and allows
your trainees to practice skills without being put into a traditional
role playing situation."
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